


Scattered Pages

by RonnokArchmage



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, F/F, Fluff, Mild Language, Some mention of sexy times comes later, but nothing explicit, cause you know, they're friggin' 17
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-23
Updated: 2016-06-25
Packaged: 2018-06-03 23:03:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6630604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RonnokArchmage/pseuds/RonnokArchmage
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the face of the girl who collides with her in the hallway refuses to escape Jasper's thoughts, the high school athlete makes it her quest to return the girl's dropped notebook. Which would be a lot easier if she knew her name.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Peridot's cat is a douche, she's crushing hardcore on Jasper, and Amethyst is a great friend but a terrible matchmaker.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ow, My Head

“...and that's not even a decent lunch, let alone breakfast. How have you not eaten _anything_ else today?”

Sugilite snorted, taking another gulp of her oversized drink.

“Sugi, I swear to god, if you don't stop drinking those fucking coffee-flavoured cups of sugar I'm gonna start spiking them with mineral water.”

“Um, ew? Why the hell would you just water it down?”

Jasper rolled her eyes. “Mineral water isn't for – ugh, never mind. You don't care.”

“That's right, you fuckin' health nut, I don't care.” Sugilite took another swig of her iced-maple-latte-whatever-the-hell-it-was and belched. Loudly. With spit.

Jasper winced and rolled her eyes with even more fervour, looking up across the crowded foyer of the school. Some groups were sorted into their normal cliques – a few loitered around the vending machines that hadn't worked since the 90s, another group sitting on the benches facing the large, grungy windows facing the parking lot, and at least three jocks debating on who could crush the most pop cans on their foreheads the quickest. They were running out of cans.

Blowing a stray hair from her face, Jasper turned her attention back out to the window. The mid-day sun was hot, heavy, and prickling the back of her neck. The light shining through the window illuminated the grime and smudges across its surface. Hand prints, smears, and – was that the imprint of a face? On the _upper_ window?

“Hey Sug, how do you think that smear got--”

Jasper's question would go unfinished and quickly forgotten, as something game barrelling into her torso. Fortunately for Jasper, the athlete was a tower of muscle and hair and the impact felt more akin to a gentle bump against her stomach. She did stagger, however. More so out of surprise, rather than the force connecting with her chest, but she staggered nonetheless.

Along with the wallop came a moment of confusion. Blinking it away, she stopped to address whatever nut-job had been stupid enough to run straight into her.

“Hey, what the hell are you--” Jasper paused as she looked down at her feet.

“Graah!” a high pitched, strangled shout came from beneath her.

A girl, a _tiny_ girl – at least compared to Jasper - laid splayed out on the ground, books and papers strewn about. She scrambled to collect them, shouting profanities as she did so.

“You big oaf! You clod! How in the world did you not see me!?” Jasper remained rather stunned, not expecting such a disproportionate reaction.

“You stupid jocks have no sense of --” the girl paused mid sentence, adjusting her oversized glasses, and glaring up into Jasper's eyes. Her words caught in her throat.

Jasper was speechless, really, as she looked down at her. The sunlight sent little beads of light shining off her glasses, and highlighted the many stray hairs in her messy blonde bun. What captured Jasper the most were her eyes – they were wide now, with the sun creeping into the deepest corner of her bright, verdant irises, and Jasper swore they _sparkled._

“G-uh, um, s-, uh, sorry...” the girl mumbled, quickly collecting her belongings. She muttered more stifled apologies and quickly ran past Jasper, shoulders hunched past her ears. Turning quickly, Jasper reached out her hand, mumbling her own apology, but by then the girl was but a green blur down the hall.

Jasper stood there for a moment, the sun tingling her skin, still rather dumb-struck at what had just occurred.

“The fuck?”

Jasper's friend broke the silence surrounding Her. She grumbled, turning again to keep walking.

“Pff, what a little shit!” Sugilite, who apparently had done nothing but chug her latte through the whole ordeal, followed Jasper in stride.

A crease formed in Jasper's brow.

“It was an accident,” she said, walking a little faster, “she was just in a rush, and I was looking out the window. Nothing too it.”

Sugilite scoffed, shrugged, and downed the last of her drink. With a flick of her arm, she tossed the cup over her shoulder. It missed the garbage can by a good meter.

With a grumble, Jasper turned on her heel. Throwing the cup out herself, she paused again to look back to where she saw the girl run. She was long gone, of course, but Jasper couldn't help but wonder what she had been so worked up about... and why her mood had changed so sharply.

_Did I scare her?_ She probably had. Jasper always scared people. It was better then having to just sit there and take any insult thrown at her, and it was easier, too. Despite even Jasper's own expectation of herself, however, she couldn't help but feel... guilty? Was that guilt? I was a tiny feeling, a little flutter in her stomach. Closer to an itch.

_I didn't mean to scare her._

Jasper's wandering eyes caught a flicker green against the beige floor.

She blinked. A notebook, small and thin, lay on the ground. It's spine was black, the face a speckled green, and it sat solemn and alone on the dirty floor.

Jasper gently picked it up, dusting it off. She held it gingerly in her rough hands, as if it were to break if she wasn't careful. Considering her, it very well might.

_This must be that girls._ Jasper bit her lip. Still no sign of the mystery green girl. She held it in her hands for a few more moments, then carefully placed it in her bag.

_I'll just... find her later. Can't just leave it on the ground, right? Right._

“Hey dipshit,” said Sugilite, stifling a yawn, “You done playing with my junk? We've got a class to skip.”

Jasper walked along side Sugilite again. She adjusted her hair again, pulling itchy strands away from her speckled cheek.

“You might have a class to skip,” she said, “but I've got pre-calc. I actually would like to graduate _this year,_ thank you very much.”

Sugilite shrugged again. The walk to class was quiet, Jasper's mind still churning with thoughts, and a few more personal questions that she was accustomed to.

She almost didn't notice when she strode up to her class, but shook her head clear and gave Sugilite a goodbye-punch in the arm.

“Hey,” said Sugilite, just as Jasper was about to step away, “You got a sunburn?”

Jasper cocked her head, pressing her fingers against her cheek. It was certainly warmer than usual, her skin bristling a little at the contact.

“Uh, I guess the sun got me better than I thought,” she mumbled.

“Yeah, it's fuckin toasty today,” and with that wonderfully insightful comment, Sugilite was gone.

The class was air conditioned, and comfortable for a room its size. Jasper got to work, but despite her best effort, she found herself distracted. She touched her face again. It was still warm, and apparently noticeably so. The girls face popped up in her mind again, along with those intense emerald eyes, staring right into her own.

She frowned. As far as she knew, Jasper didn't get sunburns.

 

***

 

Peridot sprinted at full speed, stopping only once she was around the corner of the hall. She leaned back against the brick wall, gasping for breath. Her face was burning red, her knuckles white as she squeezed her binders tight against her chest.

Of _course_ she would run into Jasper. She had slept in, nearly missed the bus, bag was peed on by the cat, and now Peridot had to go ahead and run head-long into the school's most notorious athlete and most flirtatious jock.

The jock Peridot had a been completely, totally, and utterly infatuated with since that one volleyball game in the first semester.

Peridot belted her head against the brick wall behind her, immediately wincing and regretting the action. _Stupid, stupid, stupid. Stupid Peridot, stupid day, stupid life, stupid Jasper._

She rubbed the back of her head. A sore head was the last thing she wanted today.

With a sigh, Peridot moped along, grumbling to herself and taking particular interest in the ground. She arrived to class just as the bell rang, and she scrambled to get into her seat, setting out her belongings in front of her, filling the desk with textbooks that didn't even belong in this class.

“Stupid cat,” she huffed.

She expected the teacher to say something, ask why she was late. Or, worse, for the other students to start whispering a gossiping about her tardiness.

Neither of these things happened. As far as Peridot could tell, no one cared. The class went as usual, safe the sinking feeling in Peridot's gut and the ache in her head. For once, Peridot was just desperately waiting for this day to be over, so she could just go home and lay face down on her bed for a few decades.

Then the bell rang, and by then she was just doodling on the side of her paper. One of them may or may not have been of Jasper's face. Peridot didn't even have the emotional capacity to be embarrassed by it today. With a certain apathy that few were capable of, Peridot weakly pulled together her books and shuffled out the door, dodging the students that scurried around her.

The sun was low, and it made her squint in its heat. Peridot's entire body felt like it was being weighed down by stones, and it felt like she was carrying all of her school supplies in her arms.

_Oh wait,_ she glared, _I am._

“Hey Peri! Peridot, over here!”

Peridot exhaled, groaning as she turned her head to the scratchy, distant voice.

Amethyst waved to her as she jogged over, wild hair flapping everywhere. Peridot failed to ignore the fact that in reminded her of Jasper's.

Literally skidding to a stop in front of her, Amethyst face was bright, warm, and happy, the exact opposite of Peridot's long, tired own.

“You still comin' over today?” said Amethsyt, a grin still plastered on her face, “my mums waiting in the car!”

_Oh hell. Of course._ Peridot mentally slapped herself. _How did I forget about the sleepover?_

Peridot pulled the closet thing to a smile she could force across her face.

“Oh yeah, of course!” she said, voice positive, but drained. “I just, uh, just zoned out a bit, that's all.”

The two made their way to the pickup truck, rusty and purple. It sputtered black soot behind it, as if a sickly dragon were laying in the back. It sounded like it, too. Amethyst rattled on about her day, which apparently had been “super friggin' chill, like you have no idea!” Peridot was only half listening.

“Hey, what happened to your bag?”

“Ugh,” Peridot groaned, “My asshole of a cat decided to soak the thing in pee.” Amehtyst snickered.

“Oh, here!” she exclaimed, yanking her backpack over her shoulder in one, swift motion, “You can put your stuff in mine! All I've got are wrappers and coupons.”

Peridot smiled, a real one this time. She carefully placed her books into Amethyst waiting bag, who then simply slung the thing over her shoulder. Peridot didn't get a chance to offer to carry her it, but Amethyst didn't seem to mind.

Peridot was smiling by the time she was in the car. Amethyst's mother bid her a warm, energetic welcome, and asked the two if they would like to grab something to eat on the way home. Amethyst was cheering before her guest could even politely decline. However, Peridot found herself rather in favour of a snack - something sugary, or salty, or packed with an ungodly amount of carbs. Maybe this day could still be saved.

It wasn't long before she and Amethyst were cackling like witches in their seats, barely keeping their ice-cream cups from spilling on the dashboard. They were still losing it when they walked through Amethyst's front door, and when they flopped down onto the floor in her room.

The laughing died down, and the two took a breather, still giggling and snorting. Peridot looked up at Amethyst's ceiling – just as decorated as the last time she was here. Motorcycles, women, actual pictures of pizza... and even a picture of the two of them, back from ninth grade. Peridot still had braces back then. She would have cringed, but memories of that summer overrides any negative feelings.

Peridot sighed, relaxed for the first time all day. Maybe things _would_ look up for her, today.

 

***

 

Jasper was too late to catch the truck as it clinked and clanked away. She had just barely seen the girl from earlier climb into it, but by the time it clicked that her notebook was still in Jasper's possession, she was driving away to who knows where.

Sighing, she looked at the notebook again. It was Friday – she couldn't get this back to her until Monday. Would the girl be angry that she had it? Well, Jasper certainly wasn't getting rid of it. Besides, she could use it as a... _conversation starter._ That was totally normal. Nothing weird about that.

It was slipped back into her back, and she began her walk home. The sun was just settling low on the horizon. The sky was orange and warm, the air still thick with the heat of the day. Jasper usually loved this time of day, and usually found her walks home very pleasant.

Today, though... that girl was stuck in her mind. Why? She was just another person. Another random student she had never talked to. Jasper didn't even know her name. She knew her face, though. And her eyes.

Jasper definitely knew her eyes.


	2. Reputation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peridot has a sleepover with Amethyst and definitely totally doesn't spill the beans about how totally not smitten she is with Jasper.

Despite an initial day consumed by exhaustion and general negativity, it didn't take long for Peridot to get hyped up on sour candy and pop. Amethyst was no better – in fact, she was perpetrating both of their sugar highs by supplying the sugar in question – not to mention terrible, terrible jokes.

By 10:30, they could barely breath for both of their cackling, Peridot's cheeks and stomach sore in the best possibly way. Amethyst once again played a poorly-pitched version of a song, which, apparently, was one of the funniest things either of them had ever heard. If she wasn't so distracted by her maniacal glee, Peridot would have worried about suffocating, at the rate she was going.

Within an hour, however, both of the girls were exhausted, catching their breath and beginning to feel the sugar crash seep into their limbs. Peridot pulled her makeshift bedding up around her. Arms crossed over her head, she sighed contently. Making herself comfortable, she leaned over to look at Amethyst, who was snuggling into her sheets as well.

“Thanks for having me over, Ame. I needed this today.”

“No big my guy,” she said as she stretched her arms over her head, “yeah, you were lookin' pretty gloomy outside today. What happened, anyway?”

“It was...” Peridot paused, mulling over her answer, “...just a bad day, in general.”

“I getcha there, man,” said Amethyst, pointing a finger and Peridot, “but that was today, and  _now_ is  _tonight_ .”

Peridot craned her neck and squinted at the digital clock on Amethyst's bookcase.

“It's not midnight yet,” she corrected, “so technically it's the same day.”

“You know that's not what I mean, Peri,” groaned Amethyst, receiving a placid smirk from her friend. Peridot scoffed, flopping her head back onto her pillow.

“What  _did_ you mean, then?”

The bed to her left creaked as Amethyst moved to lean over its side, a smile drawn across her lips, so mischievous that Peridot unconsciously pulled her sheets tighter. Her eyes darted across the room, searching in vain for some sort of explanation to the look her friend was giving her.

With a wiggle of her eyebrows, the intensity of Amethyst's grinning increased. An awkward moment passed, until Peridot gave a final weak shrug.

Whatever that face was - Smugness? Mischief? - flopped down into a disappointed eye roll.

“Peridot, this is the part where we  _talk._ ”

It would be unfair to say Peridot was completely dumbfounded in this situation – she had seen plenty of 'slumber parties' on TV and movies, or whatever gratuitous mid-2000's pop culture her baby sitter had forced her to watch. Peridot had not, however, truly participated in anything of the sort, due to her lack of practically  _any_ friends until her third year of high school. To further her predicament, she hadn't visited anyone's house since she was 4 until  _late eleventh grade._ Peridot would be lying to herself if she said she didn't regret some of the times she had chosen solidarity or cruelty over the risk of being with other people. Yes, Peridot needed solace, often  _craved_ it, but the things like the laughing fits she had just endured were something she wished she had experienced more of. Thinking about it either made her cringe, or simply depressed her. Intellectual paragon, or at least something near it, was one of Peridot's truest pursuits, and yet she could barely manage a sleepover at her friends house. 

“Ah, of course,” she mumbled, “the  _best_ part.”

Despite her sarcasm, Amethyst's eyes caught the ache in Peridot's own.

“What's wrong? We're not  _gossiping_ about  _you_ or anything... were not insulting nobody.”

“Not insulting  _anybody._ ”

“Exactly!”

Peridot knew that Amethyst meant well – but unfortunately, she wasn't quite barking up the right tree. Regardless, Peridot internally appreciated her friends attempt to comfort her.

A scoff was all that Amethyst received for her last comment, but Peridot roll over to face her again.

“Okay,” said Peridot, “What are we going to 'talk' about?”

“Oh, easy,” said Amethyst, her smile returning, “things like  _whose the hottest chick in school_ and  _whose probably bonin' with who,_ and--”

“Okay, Okay, I get it,” Peridot grumbled, “we talk about people being stupid.”

“Who said any of that was stupid?”

“Me. High school drama  _is_ stupid. It's just a bunch of teenagers with hormones flowing out their ears swinging wildly at each other. Stupid drama, stupid people, and stupid, stupid,  _stupid_ crushes.”

“Ah, of course, and the great and lovable Peridot couldn't  _possibly_ be crushing on anyone.”

“Uh, n-no,” Peridot said, turning her nose up and pulling her sheets get closer, “...I'm not.”

“Oh my god you totally do!” hollered Amethyst.

“I do  _not!_ ”

“You're bright red cheeks beg to differ.”

Her palm pressed against her face, and was met with flesh that was all too warm for Peridot's liking. She huffed and flopped over again, staring and the ceiling.

“Fine, so I do. Whatever. Nothing is going to come of it anyway. I'd rather just let the whole thing pass than bother with this sort of idiocy before I even graduate.”

In this case, Peridot wasn't lying to herself – most of her didn't even want to  _admit_ to her attraction to Jasper, let alone calling it a crush. As far as Peridot was concerned, all it was doing was distracting her and embarrassing her. It would be better gone than anything else.

“But  _dude,_ ” said Amethyst, “Now's like, the perfect time to do that sorta thing! If it sucks, you've got like 20 years to learn from it, and if it's good, maybe you can make it stick!”

For once, Peridot didn't have an actual argument to Amethyst's point, so she just stayed staring and some random dark spot on the roof. Eventually, after Amethyst was quieter than she tended to be, Peridot glanced over at her. Her friend's eyes held her own for a few moments before she spoke.

“Well?” asked Amethyst.

“Well what?”

“Well, who is it?!”

Peridot through her pillow at Amethyst, who caught it just as it collided with her face. She laughed, tossing it back. Peridot shoved it under her head again.

“I told you, I don't even want to bother with it.”

“Doesn't mean you can't talk about it!”

“Well, then whose  _your_ crush, then, if it's so non-nonchalant?”

Amethyst hesitated, the smallest dusting of pink on her cheeks. “Who says I even have a crush?”

“HA!” shouted Peridot, jabbing a finger in Amethyst's direction, “You do have one, and you don't want to tell me! Were even.”

Amethyst paused for another moment, her eyes suddenly very interested in her bed spread. Despite her looking away, Peridot caught the thoughtfulness in her eyes. She also saw as the look in her eyes changed in joyous devilry.

“Alright, how about this,” Amethyst said, smile smug yet eyes serious, “I try and guess your crush in 20 questions or less. If I figure it out, I'll tell you mine, hassle-free.”

“And if you  _don't_ guess?”

“Then  _you_ have to guess in 20 questions, you get it right you tell me, blah blah blah.”

“That could go on all night!”

“No, because one of us would eventually figure it out!”

“There's no way out of  this , is there?”

“Not if you want more sour candies, no.”

_Damn Amethyst and her knowledge of my addiction to citric acid._

“Of course.”

“So, you ready to start crush-a-thon 2016?”

“Do we  _have_ to call them crushes?”

“Uh, yeah,” Amethyst scoffed, “cause that's what they are.”

“ For the record, I am simply attracted to... this... person. I have not even interacted with them. I just think that they would make a... decent romantic partner.”

“Peridot you literally just described a crush. Like, not even vaguely, you gave the exact definition, dude.”

The point was moot, anyway, so Peridot chose not to follow through with her debate – which she still upheld – and simply made herself comfortable, laid back, and closed her eyes.

“Alright,” she said, “ask your stupid questions.”

Amethyst made an exaggerated humming sound. Silence held the room for a moment, and Peridot was about to reinforce what she had just said when Amethyst snapped her fingers.

“Is your crush... a  _girl?_ ”

Peridot squinted at Amethyst.

“Ok, ok, stupid question,” chuckled Amethyst, “of course she is. Next question.”

This time Peridot turned to look up at her friend, who appeared to be mulling it over quite intensely. Tense was not the word to describe the situation, but Peridot was certain that something was storming behind Amethyst's eyes, and a definite shift filled the air. What it meant, Peridot couldn't say.

“Is she in the same grade as us?” Amethyst finally asked.

“Um... she has to be. No way she's younger than us, and were graduating, so...”

“So she's  _mature,_ eh?”

The only response Amethyst received was another scoff.

“Alright... is she... in the Chess club?”

“We don't have a chess club.”

“Really? I figured if we did then you'd be in it.”

Peridot stopped herself from answering 'probably' and instead rolled her eyes. “No, she's not in the non-existent chess club. You've only got seventeen questions left.”

“Won't need all of em'!”

“We'll see.”

“Ooh, getting ominous are we?” Amethyst paused again. Her eyes darted across the back of her hand, the slight sternness in her eyes returning. Perhaps Amethyst was more transparent than Peridot had thought.

“Is she tall?”

“...yes. Very.”

“Is she hot?”

“Of course she is.”

“But what kind of hot?”

“These are supposed to be yes or no questions, and I'm counting that one. Fourteen questions.”

“Is she  _nerdy_ hot?”

“I... wouldn't say so, no.”

“So then she's... sportsy hot?”

Amethyst was digging deeper than Peridot had expected. However, lying to Amethyst just felt... wrong, to say the least. The only reason the two had become friends was because Peridot had attempted to make right a wrong she had done to her – and it may or may not have involved a little white lie.

“Yes,” Peridot said, voice hushed, “definitely sportsy hot.”

“So is she on the basketball team?”

“No.”

“Volleyball?”

The room suddenly felt as if it were stuffed with cotton, thick and just slightly too warm. Peridot clenched her sheets a little tighter. Her friend was getting very close to knowing something Peridot wasn't entirely willing to admit to even herself. 

In all honesty, Peridot was probably most worried about what Amethyst were to say, if she knew. There was an unpleasant tickled in Peridot's chest, and she couldn't place it as simple embarrassment, or if it was her not trusting Amethyst with the information. Why should she not trust her? Amethyst was her friend. Perhaps her  _best_ friend.

This shouldn't be new to Peridot. Crushes weren't exactly new, and neither was worrying about it. Perhaps, it was simply the fact that someone other than herself would have access to what she considered a vulnerability – or maybe this felt... more  _real_ than anytime before.

Real? This wasn't real. It couldn't be. Even if there was the slimmest of chances something between her and Jasper could actually  _last,_ there was no way it would start. Peridot knew – or at the very least, was quite sure – she wasn't capable of that.

And that was both a little scary, and more than a little sad.

“Peri?” asked Amethyst. Her voice wasn't harsh, or pushing. It was quite, raspy. It was tinged with concern. The response was unexpected, and so was Amethyst confused and worried expression when Peridot turned to look at her. How long had she been sitting there thinking? Had she looked how she felt?

“You okay?”

“Fine. And Yes, she's on the volleyball team.”

Amethyst was quite now. It was... odd, for her, especially around Peridot. Of course, a twinge of guilt struck Peridot's heart, because for all she knew she had just ruined the night for the both of them, simple by looking sad.  _Way to go, Me, I expected nothing less._

“Is she nice?”

It wasn't the question Peridot had expected. Like before, it was raspy and quite, but soft, and... heartfelt? Was that what that was?

“I... I don't really know. She seems nice, I guess, but...” Peridot mumbled, “I haven't really talked to her.”

“So she's tall, on the volleyball team, and probably kinda nice. Oh god, you're not crushing on  _Garnet,_ are you?”

“No, no, it's not her. Not that she  _isn't_ nice, or anything, I mean she's great, I've talked to her--”

“It's okay Peri, you're not gonna offend anyone. Nothing wrong with  _not_ being smitten by one of my other friends.”

Peridot giggled, her first in awhile. The cotton seemed to thin a little.

“Well, if it's not G...” Amethyst scratched the back of her neck, “that leaves...”

Oh, there we go. More cotton.

“Oh.”

“Oh?” said Peridot, “Oh what?”

“ _Oh_ .”

“OH WHAT?”

“OH MY GOD!”

“AMETHYST!”

Covers flung across the room as Amethyst spun herself to stand. She grabbed thick locks of her hair and held them to the sides of her head, grinning wildly.

Confusion struck Peridot for a moment, the position her friend taking seemingly pointless. When Peridot didn't respond, she shook her clumps of hair again, lifting them even higher.

_Hair? What does her hair have to do with it? What would that have to do with Jas--_

Peridot's eyes grew into saucers. Now that she thought about it, Amethyst's hair was rather similar to hers.  _Of all the fucking coincidences--_

“AH HA!” hollered Amethyst, pumping her hands into the air, “It's  _Jasper!_ You've got the hots for my  _cousin!”_

_“WHAT?”_ Peridot screeched, quickly standing herself, “wait wait Amethyst I  _swear_ I had no idea--”  
“Pff, what are you freaking out about man? I don't care! You're right! She's super hot!”

That comment granted Amethyst and  _look_ from Peridot

“Objectively _,_ I mean,” corrected Amethyst, “don't make it weird.”

Peridot sighed, laying back down across her covers. An indignant thump confirmed Amethyst doing the same. She kept chuckling, which did nothing to improve Peridot's embarrassment. The cotton had been replaced by cold bricks.

“Ohmigod, dude, I have number,” Amethyst finally said between giggles, picking up her phone from her nightstand, “I could totally text her right now-”

Shock spread up her wrist as a hand clamped down on it, wrenching the phone out of her grip and back on the table. Surprised, but not particularly startled by the reaction, Amethyst quickly turned to smirk at the fuming Peridot. 

“Don't you dare!” she hissed through her teeth, “I don't even want to deal with this. Even if I  _did_ want to waste energy trying to deal with it, I guarantee Jasper wouldn't bother  _herself._ Please just... drop it.”

Amethyst twisted from Peridot's grasp. Her smirk faded slightly, but the slightest whiff of smugness was tangible as she slowly turned to rest her head on her pillow. She giggled again, but made no further comments. Peridot huffed, flopping down and scrambling to grasp her covers. The were taught around her, a cocoon that did little than make her slightly more warm than what she found comfortable. Her secret was revealed, and there was no taking it back.

_I shouldn't have even agreed to that stupid deal._

Oh. The deal.

A malicious grin spread across Peridot's face, baring predatory teeth from sharp, taught lips that folded creases into her cheeks. The intensity of such an expression must have been felt throughout the room, because Amethyst's chuckling had died down completely. She turned her head slowly, lips pursed, with just a hint of shock in her eyes. When she met Peridot's stare – and her grin – she visibly shrunk a little, eyes darting back and forth, not unlike her friend's earlier reaction.

“Soooooo...” drawled Peridot, grimace of roguery remaining in place.

“Uh, well, heh, uh...”

“Hey, we had an agreement. You said if you could guess mine, you'd tell me yours.”

“Well, uh, y-yeah, but-”

“What, you're not going to cheat your  _best friend,_ are you?”

Sighing, Amethyst turned on her side, facing Peridot as directly as she could.

“Ok, I won't tell anyone about yours,” she said, Her voice so serious is was almost surreal to Peridot, “but you _cannot_ tell anyone about mine. _At all._ ”

Peridot shrugged. “I don't care about telling anyone. Like I said, that just makes drama, and conflict and other stupid things I don't give a damn about. I'm just going tease you about it,” she said with another smirk.

Amethyst looked like she was bracing herself. She took a deep, shaky breath, closing her eyes and tilting her head up. The nigh-silent buzz of the house was no deafening, with Peridot waiting with her own baited breath.

_This crush must be extremely out of place for her,_ thought Peridot,  _If she's this worried about telling me._

“It's Pearl.”

Peridot blinked.

“That's it!? Pearl!?”

“Uh... yeah?”

“But you two are always together anyways! Even when Garnet isn't around you two act like you're connected at the hip! Why should I be surprised you like her?”

“But, but... she's like, the total opposite of me, dude!”

“And me and Jasper  _aren't?_ ”

“Well yeah, but, but...”

Amethyst trailed, breaking her gaze on Peridot and shuffling under her blanket. She was blushing, but her face read disappointment, if not true distress.

Had Peridot done it again? Hurt her friend, even when she wasn't trying to?

_Damnit, Damnit, no! Stupid Peridot, Stupid Stupid Clodding –_

_“_ It's just that... we're friends, you know? We've been buds for years, and yeah we bicker and fight but we're still close, and its just... I can't risk losing that over thinking she's kinda cute, y'know?”

_Ok. Bring it back. You're her friend!_

“Well, what if she likes you too? I mean, Pearl has probably crushed on every girl in the school  _herself_ at some point.”

“No way! She's way too good for me! She's smart, and fit, and I'm just this scrappy--”

“Stop that!”

Amethyst paused for a moment. “Stop what?”

“Insulting yourself to try and compliment someone else!”

“I--”

“You do it all the time! Amethyst, you're a good person – you're a  _great_ person!” Peridot rose to her knees, hands gesturing wildly, eyes intense, brow stern. “Pearl would be an idiot if she couldn't see that. And you and I both know Pearl isn't and idiot.”

Without any response, Amethyst remained silence, slightly taken aback by the enthusiasm of her friend's words. Her face flushed, and she slowly came to sit up on the edge of her bed.

“You mean that?”

“Of course I mean it! You're my best friend, why in the hell wouldn't I mean it?”

Amethyst smiled.

“Yeah, you are.”

Peridot hadn't really intended to be quite so blunt with her own words, and was perhaps just a  _little_ surprised that Amethyst had responded the way she had. As far as she could remember, no one had ever said they were  _her_ best friend. 

Technically, they still hadn't. But it was still real, and part of that grabbed onto Peridot's heart and stuck there.

There was a silence again, but it was almost a comfortable one. Amethyst was still smiling a little, fiddling with the edge of her bed sheet. Peridot sat back down on her own sheets, thumbs twiddling. She spared a glance at Amethyst – either her timing was impeccable, or Amethyst caught her movement, because they both came took to look at each other at the same time.

Amethyst snorted. “You're a dork.”

“And you're crushing on your bestie. We're even.”

Peridot received a chuckle for that, rather than any other snide comment.

It was quite again for a while. Peridot draped her arms over her head, and half expected Amethyst's bedside lamp to flicker off and fill the room with a drowsy darkness. Instead, however, she heard Amethyst audibly grinding gears in her head.

“Hmm...”

“Something up?” asked Peridot, arms still covering her face.

“Nah. Just thinkin' about you and Jasper.”

“There _is_ no me and Jasper.”

Quiet again for a moment, Peridot assumed they had struck another end to their conversation. Again, she was wrong.

“Yeah, you're right. Jasper doesn't really _do_ dating anymore.”

“Oh. Well, good. Then I have even less to stress me out.”

At first, this was true. If her only crush was entirely uninterested in any sort of romance – which, really, was at least _one_ of the major things at the forefront of Peridot's mind when it came to Jasper – then Peridot needn't even worry herself with the prospect in the first place.

That peace did not last, however. Peridot found herself once again in an emotional dilemma. There had been an undeniable twinge of disappointment in her when Amethyst had said that, and it lingered just long enough for Peridot's analytic mind to grasp on to it. Why wouldn't Jasper be interested? There was the obvious issues of sexuality, though Amethyst was _hardly_ someone who wouldn't consider that – if she hadn't considered that the issue, then it was likely irrelevant. So, by logical conclusion, Peridot assumed something must have happened to Jasper, something _extraordinarily_ unpleasant, that made her uncomfortable with any such future relationship.

_But Jasper is yolked as all hell,_ said the more colloquial facet of Peridot's mind. It certainly wasn't wrong – whatever put Jasper in that position was more likely to be emotional, not physical. _But what?_ Peridot couldn't help but worry for the girl. She may not know her, but she was still practically smitten with her regardless, so even with her lacking empathy skills Peridot assumed there was something worth knowing, here.

“Wait,” she finally said.

“Yeah?” said Amethyst. She was smiling – Peridot took little notice. She was probably just thinking about Pearl, or food, or something.

“What do you mean _anymore?_ ” Peridot asked, finally peering out from her arms. “What happened to her?”

“Her last time dating someone – like  _really_ dating someone, I mean, all serious n' junk – went... well, it went down the shitter. Ended on a bad note, and no one was really happy.”

“That's it? A bad break up?” Even for a high-school relationship, that didn't seem nearly as serious as Peridot had expected.

“Oh no no no no,” affirmed Amethyst, “It wasn't just the breakup. They  _hurt_ each other, man. Hurt each other pretty bad. It messed both of them up.”

“H-hurt each other?” Peridot's voice quivered. Should she not have been so interested in this girl? Was there some sort of danger she had never accounted for?

Amethyst must have caught on to her train of thought, because she jumped right onto the defense.

“Oh, no, it wasn't Jasper's fault man. Well, it was, but not just hers. They did a number on each other, both in the gut and in the head. Those two... they just brought out the worst in each other. I dunno about L, but Jasper regrets every minute of it. Regrets asking her in the first place.”

“So... it was  _really_ that bad?”

“Yep. Me, G and Pearl had to break em' apart more than once before they could kill each other. It kinda sucks, too. Maybe if things had been different, they could'a actually worked out, but... everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong. Got into it for the wrong reasons, stayed in it for the wrong reasons... timing was bad too, neither were in good places... god, it was a clusterfuck.”

Amethyst seemed out of breath, just talking about it. Peridot was quiet now, brow furrowed as her mind, despite her demands, formulated images of a bruised and beaten Jasper. Or herself. Or both. It was making her feel sick.

“But,” said Amethyst, her voice piquing a little, “They're out of it now. Jasper for sure. Better place, better state of mind, y'know? She's pretty chill, t-b-h. And, well, I'm sure you know about her reputation.”

Peridot blinked. She did not, in fact, know about Jasper's reputation.

“What reputation?”

“Ohhh,” said Amethyst, her voice at it's teasing norm, “You don't know?”

“No, I don't know. What's Jasper's reputation?”

“How do I say this... she is often gettin'  _bizzzzay_ with the lads and ladies.”

“I have no idea what you just said.”

Amethyst groaned. “She's banged like half our grade.”

“Oh!” exclaimed Peridot. She wasn't surprised that this  _information_ hadn't reached her, but she couldn't but I feel a little embarrassed she'd never caught onto anything like that. To think she had been concerned that Jasper's 'reputation' would be something other than minor high school obscenity. 

“Wait,” said Peridot, to trains of thought colliding, “I thought you said she was off romance.”

“Pff, it ain't romance, dude. People got needs, thats it.”

“It's not a  _need,_ its a  _want._ ”

“Well, some would agree.”

“Garnet would agree.”

“Got me there.”

Peridot was thoroughly finished discussing her crush with Amethyst, and it seemed Amethyst was as well. Their late night chatting changed to snickering, bad jokes, and the occasional jab at an annoying teacher. From their, the two felt true exhaustion set in as they both curled up, the finally flickering off. With shared 'good night's, they snuggled into their own thoughts.

In Peridot's case, they were – despite her logic telling her the impossibility of it over and over – about Jasper. Unnecessarily lewd thoughts, as well. Peridot finally managed to scold herself enough to train her thoughts onto more abstract things. There was no point in thinking about Jasper. The only thing Peridot truly would want out of her was exactly what Jasper did not want – and Peridot was more likely to be struck by lighting in a parking garage than Jasper be interested in her for one of her... _singled_ _out_ events. 

_But if she was..._ thought Peridot, in the dark silence of her friends bedroom.

_No, no, she wouldn't._

_Would she?_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK I KNOW THIS SEEMS LIKE ITS GETTING LEWD BUT I PROMISE THIS FIC DOESN'T HAVE ANY SMUT  
> also this chapter could have leaned in a sorta amedot direction??? but their just best buds, this time around  
> also also this took me way to long to write and turned out much longer than I expected.... Whoops


	3. Both of Them Need to Chill, Honestly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jasper becomes weirdly interested in a girl she's technically never met. Peridot flips her shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i die boi  
> i finally updated.................here we go

The wind and the sun were apparently having a disagreement, because despite the sun deciding it wanted to scorch Jasper's face and nearly blind her eyes, the wind was more focused on tossing her hair in her face while chilling her cheeks and arms. Late spring wasn't the worst of months for Jasper, but she hated the inconsistency of it. The weather should make up its mind, and stop trying to be some gross combination of spring and summer.

But, to be fair, the weather was secondary in Jasper's mind compared to the contents of her bag. It was pretty annoying, at this point, how she couldn't really focus on anything other than the book and the face of the girl who had collided with her. At first, Jasper had figured it was just mere curiosity, and delved deeper into thought without much reprieve. She was now regretting that choice, specifically after narrowly dodging the hood of a car.

Managing to drag her mind away from emerald eyes long enough to turn the knob on her door, she stepped inside her house, pulling off her shoes, silently relishing in the still air and even temperature.

Jasper's home was nothing special. It was an older house, probably built in the mid-nineties. Having only lived in this particular house for about two years, she had only become attached to her own bedroom. Said room was what she intended to make a b-line for.

Of course, as her luck would have it, the one day she _wanted_ to rush towards her room rather than scavenge for food in the kitchen was the one day her father happened to me making food for himself.

“Welcome back to Earth, Jaspy!” he called from the kitchen, frying something on the stove that smelled suspiciously like Jasper's favourite part of a BLT.

“I'd prefer Mars, thanks,” she responded as she turned on her heel for the kitchen. Her bag was thrown on the counter has hap-haphazardly as usual, but received a minor, unusual shoulder glance to make sure no particular books had fallen out.

“Well, Mars doesn't have any vacancies, so this will have to do,” her father said, poking at what was definitely bacon. Her father was a tall man, though not much taller than Jasper herself anymore. Maybe it was something to do with pride, but it made Jasper feel confident when she could talk to her father on the literal same level. He didn't look much liker her – while her vitiligo gave her lighter stripes crossing across amber skin, said stripes were absent on her father. His hair was dark and curly, also unlike Jasper's. The only real similarity they shared was their eyes; bright, intense, and golden. 

Jasper wanted to will herself away from the greasy treat in favor of something at least _slightly_ healthier, but she relented and started prepping herself a sandwich as well.

“Enough for two?”

“You didn't tell me you were pregnant. I'd have made something healthier.”

Jasper and her father laughed, filling the kitchen with mirth and enjoying the day's decline. By the time they were both eating, Jasper was nearly finished her sandwich. Bacon was her weakness, but she figured most people complaining would be hypocrites.

“How was school?”

Jasper paused.

“Uh... good. Nothing unusual.”

“You sure? You seemed pretty distracted walking home.”

“You saw me?”

Her father jutted his thumb out to the kitchen window, which faced the exact path Jasper took. She'd forgotten about that.

She scrambled for an answer. Talking about... people she had _barely met_... wasn't really her style. “Heh, yeah, well I guess I'm just... glad the school years almost finished. Graduation, you know?”

A nod was her father's first response. “Yep, big changes for you. Still planning on staying here for a year or two?”

“Yeah, probably. Still need to figure out... everything, really.”

“Well, you know I'm always here to talk about it if you need to. I'm sure you hear this a lot, but I know what you're going through. At least, well, the graduation bit.”

Jasper smiled. “Thanks, Dad.”

Her dad had already left the pan to soak in the sink, so Jasper quickly washed her hands, grabbed her bag, and headed for the stairs. She flew up them, ran to her room, and flung her door shut. Tossing her bag on the bed, she rummaged through it.

The small journal had fallen under one of her texts books, and she carefully pulled it out. The book had been near pristine when she had picked it up, but now on of the corners of the cover was ever so lightly bent. Jasper frowned – hopefully the girl wouldn't notice that once she returned it.

If she knew who the girl was. Jasper crawled on her bed, shoving her bag aside and sitting cross-legged and holding the tiny green journal very gently in her hands. There was a pattern on his cover – little alien heads that reflected light at certain angles, as if they were bobbling around the cover. It was cute. Jasper moved to open it, but held herself back. What if this was private? It looked more akin to a personal diary, despite its thinness, than a school notebook. The back had no name, either. If she wanted to know who that girl was, she would have to open it.

However, she could simply wait until the next school day, look for the girl then, and give it back. That would be simple, quick, and with the least hassle.

_Except it's Friday, and I could lose it, or forget it._ Well, really I was unlikely she was going to forget about the book or it's owner, but the slightly less unlikely prospect of losing it made Jasper uneasy. Maybe it would be best to open it. Not to read, of course, just to see who owned it. Just to see her name, if it was even in there.

As if it were some ancient, mystical scroll that would crumble to dust in her hands, Jasper slowly, cautiously opened the from cover.

Inside, on the inner cover, was a neatly printed message written in green pen.

“If you're reading this, give this book back to Peridot , you snooping clod!”

Jasper read it aloud, giggling a little. _Giggling. When was the last time I sounded like that?_

Peridot. “Peridot.” She rolled the name over her tongue a few times. It was... well, frankly, the name sent little sparks shooting into Jasper's chest, as if the letters were electrified as they escaped her throat. “Peridot. That's a... nice name.”

Jasper, against her better judgment, took a peek at the first page in the journal.

The writing was tiny – no wonder this book was so small. At her rate, it could take a month to fill, at least. It was still rather messy, however, not illegible, but scrawling and scratching, changing in quality as the words ran across the page. Jasper could practically hear the emotion in them strictly from that.

Or, she was over thinking it.

_Peridot, Log Date 2-12-16,_ the passage wrote, _This is the first entry into this Log book, following the damage received to my previous recording device. This may be transcribed at a later date, during which these initial statements shall be altered but mentioned._

Jasper thought she was reading some sort of thesis or assignment, at first. The rest of the writing followed the same general style, explaining things in a monotone, matter-of-fact manner. The writing style still varied though, and did in fact seem to betray the authors tone.

The entry detailed some basic recapping of that particular day, apparently a Friday. It didn't become particularly interesting until Peridot made her first mention of someone other than 'annoying pubescent clods.'

_I have once again had another confrontation with my mother._

“Uh oh.”

_She still refuses to accept that fact that I wish to move out immediately following my graduation. 'Not ready to live on my own,' she says. Really, mom? I've lived in this house practically alone for years. You can't just force your way into my life now._

Patches of the paper were crinkled near the bottom. It was small, very subtle, but Jasper could tell it was probably water droplets.

_This Peridot doesn't seem like someone who would spill--_

Oh.

Jasper quickly closed the book, holding it to her, berating herself for delving into someone's personal life. She had no right to read that, but know something very personal about this girls life was known to her, and it was probably something she didn't want shared with anyone, especially not Jasper.

In a decision that wasn't quite based in logic, Jasper carefully slid the tiny, green, tear-stained notebook under her pillow, making sure it wouldn't be found by anyone else but herself. A discomfort was mewling in her stomach, a feeling she wished she wasn't as familiar with as she was.

The benefit of this familiarity was the knowledge of a temporary cure – running. Well, jogging.

With a change of clothes and earbuds dangling over her shoulders, Jasper stepped into the quickly cooling air and orange sky, out the back door. Her Dad shouldn't get too worried if she was gone, hopefully.

The music pounded in her ears, blocking out even her own heart beat as she padded across pavement. The cement changed to gravel and the gravel changed to dirt as she made her way into the nearby park. A slight mistake, on her part, due to the unending scenery of every growing green that had sprung up since her last jog into the park, in mid-winter.

With her attempts to purge Peridot from her mind – _God, I'm using her name like I know her –_ all but completely foiled, she instead decided that, if she was to think of her, it might as well be nice thoughts. So rather than worry on the words of her diary, Jasper focused on her face.

It wasn't difficult to bring up to the forefront of her mind, but Jasper was rather disappointed that she didn't have a clearer image of Peridot. How had she never seen her around the school before? She _must_ have at some point. It was bizarre that she had never taken notice of her until they had literally collided with each other.

The conclusion was easily reached – Jasper very much wanted to see Peridot again, not just to return her book, but also to simply know her. Despite how limited the details about the green-eyed girl Jasper had gleamed from her journal were, Jasper felt something for the girl, a feeling that was honestly knew. She could remember something close to it, but not exact. It was scary, and more than a little bit exciting.

It wasn't until a tree had come uncomfortably close to her face that Jasper realized how dark it had become. She quickly whipped her phone out, audibly gasping at the time.

Sprinting at full speed home from her _4 hour jog_ Jasper found herself close to winded as she slipped into the house, hoping her father wouldn't see her come in. By some immense stroke of luck, he was, in fact, no where to be seen.

Jasper laughed to herself. The chuckle intermingled with the feeling left in her gut from her thoughts on Peridot, and Jasper felt her belly warm, matching the heat in her throat. She spent the rest in a rather good mood, showering contentedly, and planting herself firmly on the couch. Fridays were best spent staying up late in front of a buzzing TV screen, in Jasper's current opinion.

When she did finally drag herself into her bed, she threw something she was too tired to identify at her light switch, allowing the room to flood with peaceful darkness.

Jasper laid on her side for a moment, content to sleep, until she brought her hand under her pillow and felt her knuckles brush against something cold and hard. As gingerly as before, she pulled the small, green notebook from beneath the pillow, holding it in her hands. She brushed her finger tips across the cover, the tiny alien heads refracting tiny pinpricks of rainbow in the dim light that filtered in through her window. Peridot's face was back in her mind.

After what was probably far too long, Jasper finally sighed and placed the book back beneath her head. However, green eyes still looked into hers beneath her eye lids as she drifted to sleep.

 

  
  


“WHERE THE HELL IS IT?”

Peridot hollered to herself as she tore her room asunder, yanking drawers to the floor and tearing apart her bookshelf in search of the missing journal. She flung papers, books, even lifted her bed to look beneath it, but to no avail. The book was gone, and the only other place it could be was...

“Oh _shit!_ ” cursed Peridot, realizing the truth of the situation. “Anyone could have found it! Why didn't I look where I was goingrrraaarrgh!”

Peridot fell to her knees, growling to herself. As if she had the _audacity_ to think that maybe life wouldn't be complete garbage for once. She groaned, leaning against her bed. Her whole body felt twisted and tired, and her headache was back. Peridot wanted to cry.

So she did. She cried for who knows how long before finally dragging herself up and righting her room in a mope. She considered talking to Amethyst, but decided against the risk of annoying her friend. _She's probably had enough of my from the sleepover, anyway._

Peridot fell onto her bed and screamed into her pillow. She wasn't going to sleep tonight. At least it was Saturday and she could just spend Sunday half asleep and internally freaking out while she expelled her rage onto some thirteen year old douche playing a game he wasn't old enough to own.

Awake at three in the morning, cooking herself something she was pretty sure were pop-tarts, Peridot made the decision then and there that whoever had her journal was going to go through a hell of a lot once Peridot found out who they were.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this chapter is so much shorter than the last. Probably couldve made this a portion of another chapter but i needed to update sooooooooooooooooooooooo

**Author's Note:**

> Get ready my guys, this things gonna be a few chapters. Gonna be honest, most of this was written around midnight. Might do some editing tomorrow???? maybe....,,,,.???


End file.
